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Several people have contacted me off-list saying that they are interested in a Noisebridge trip to China.<BR>
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The dates aren't set yet, but we will probably leave on 15-September, or so, and then come back about 10 days later.&nbsp; The dates really depend on Mike, since his time is most limited (and he's the head of the contract manufacturing company).<BR>
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The trip should be very interesting for those who come.&nbsp; We'll check out the entire manufacturing process, from prototype to manufacturable product, and see products being mass produced.&nbsp; Some of my products will be on the assembly line, as well as a new product by Milosch (who created Sputnik / OpenBeacon, the RFID tracking project used at the last several Chaos conferences and at The Last HOPE) and others.&nbsp; We'll also see Shanghai, and the Shanghai Electronics Mall (a total wet-dream for people into electronic and mechanical parts! -- it is actually an entire section of Shanghai full of stalls of people selling chips, LEDs, parts galore, plastic and metal project enclosures, nuts, bolts, test equipment, computers, phones, music players, etc., etc.), Ji Ning, some beautiful mountains, and I'd like to end the trip in Beijing, where I'm told some university students are attempting to set up a university sanctioned hacker space.<BR>
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I don't know the cost of the trip at this point.&nbsp; But the last time I went to China I went for 9 days, and I spent $36 per night for hotel, and about $200 total other expenses (including food and electronic parts at the Shanghai Electronics Mall).&nbsp; My plane tickets cost $813 for round-trip&nbsp;SFO -&nbsp;Shanghai.&nbsp; If we share hotel rooms, the hotel costs can be even more minimal.<BR>
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Since there is obviously considerable interest in this trip, I'll create a wiki page for it when I have some time (which may take a few days, as I'm leaving for Vienna in a few hours).<BR>
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Mitch.<BR>
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From: maltman23@hotmail.com<BR>To: noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net<BR>Subject: Noisebridge trip to China<BR>Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 22:44:40 -0700<BR><BR>
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My contract manufacturer for TV-B-Gone and TripGlasses and Trippy RGB Waves kits (and a few other things) has a&nbsp;plant&nbsp;in Shanghai and a plant in Ji Ning (about half way between Shanghai and Beijing) (both are SEZs -- Special Economic Zones).<BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR>Mike Zhao, an American who lives in San Rafael, but born in Shanghai, is the head of the contract manufacturer, called Etonnet.&nbsp; He's also a total geek, and goes to Maker Faire, and has been to Noisebridge.&nbsp; He's going to Shanghai and Ji Ning in mid-September, and asked me if I'd like to go, and asked if other NB people (and/or others)&nbsp;would like to go check out the manufacturing scene and China.<BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR>To give a little taste of what it might be like:<BR>&nbsp;<BR>A few months ago, Bunny, who manufactures Chumby in China, organized a trip to China to show interested people the manufacturing scene (and China).&nbsp; Evil Mad Scientist went along:<BR>&nbsp;<BR><A href="http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/shenzhen">http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/shenzhen</A><BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR>Would people be interested in going on such a trip in mid-September?&nbsp; The cost would be very reasonable, as these things go, and the bulk of the cost would&nbsp;be the plane tickets to and from China.&nbsp; At the moment, a round trip ticket costs about $850.<BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR>Any interest?<BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR>Mitch.<BR>&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR><BR></body>
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